More than 160,000 residents are without power.
Hurricane Florence has weakened to a Category 1 Hurricane as it continues to push further inland, delivering life-threatening storm surge, heavy rains, and hurricane-force winds to southern Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm made landfall 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, as a Category 2 Hurricane at about 5 p.m. CDT on Sept. 11, boasting 100 mph sustained winds. As of 7 p.m., those winds were down to 85 mph.
However, within those two hours, more than 160,000 residents lost power, street flooding, home damage, and fallen trees were reported.
Tornado watches for more than 15 parishes and parts of Mississippi remain active until 11 p.m. as Francine’s outer bands distribute intense thunderstorms across the southeastern portion of the state.
Morgan City Fire Chief Alvin Cockerham told The Associated Press that Francine’s arrival was followed quickly by flooded streets, snapped power lines, and downed tree limbs.
“It’s a little bit worse than what I expected, to be honest with you,” Cockerham said. “I pulled all my trucks back to the station; it’s too dangerous to be out there in this.”
A Mesonet station XYBU in Bayou Bienvenue near New Orleans recorded sustained winds of 52 mph with gusts up to 70 mph just before 7 p.m.
Local storm reports indicated flash flooding in Thibodaux around 7:11 p.m.
At least one report from a fire and rescue team stated a tree fell onto a house in Walker, Louisiana.
Individual reports submitted to NOAA’s National Severe Storm Laboratory called Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground (mPING) highlighted uprooted trees, roofs blown off homes, and vehicles stranded in street flooding.
More than 165,000 residents are without power as of 7:26 p.m., according to poweroutage.us. Terrebonne Parish has more than 25,000 of its more than 27,000 tracked residents currently without power. More than 28,000 of Lafourche Parish’s roughly 42,000 residents are also without power, and more than 13,000 of St. Mary Parish’s approximately 19,000 residents are without power.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and other state-level authorities told residents during an early afternoon press briefing that it was time to “stay home and stay put.”
“The time to evacuate has now passed,” Jacques Thibodeaux, director of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said during the briefing.
Heavy rainfall and a risk of considerable flash flooding, urban flooding, and river flooding are still expected across Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Sept. 12 and in the Lower Tennessee Valley and Lower Mississippi Valley through Sept. 13.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency in preparation for the storm’s arrival.
Up to 10 feet of storm surge is still expected in the impact area between Burns Point and Port Fourchon. Meteorologists expect up to seven feet of surge from Port Fourchon to the mouth of the Mississippi River, and as much as six feet is expected for Lake Pontchartrain.
Power loss was expected and Landry told residents to take advantage of the time while they still have electricity to ensure that all devices, such as cell phones and external batteries, are fully charged.
Several parishes issued evacuation orders. Terrebonne Parish residents living in areas south of the floodgates and in portions of the parish’s six flood zones were ordered to evacuate.
Joe Donahue, secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), confirmed four road closures due to rising water levels or closing floodgates during the press conference.
Those closures were portions of Louisiana State Route 317 in St. Mary Parish, which Donahue said was requested by the locals, State Route 45 in Jefferson Parish, State Route 3147 in Vermilion, and State Route 27 in Cameron.
Since then, the DOTD website has reported scores of other weather-related road closures across southeastern Louisiana, especially between Lafayette and New Orleans.
Authorities also confirmed the status of emergency response resources before Francine made landfall.
Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Friloux, adjunct general of Louisiana, said the total number of mobilized national guardsmen would reach 2,500 before the storm hit. They currently have 58 boats, 101 high-water vehicles, and 61 aircraft in the area of operations.
Fourteen route clearance teams have been staged in seven parishes to help remove debris and clear roads for first responders.
Louisiana’s complement of emergency response resources also includes 150 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents with rescue trucks and vessels and 400 active Louisiana State Police troopers.
“Our prayers are with all those in the storm’s path, especially our first responders,” Landry later posted on X. “These brave men and women are out there in these dangerous conditions to serve us. May the Lord protect them and keep them safe.”
The National Hurricane Center reported that Francine is expected to lose considerable strength within 12 hours of making landfall, with winds dropping to 65 miles per hour as it heads toward Jackson, Mississippi.
Still, Landry reminded his state’s residents that utility crews cannot repair lines if the winds exceed 30 miles per hour.
Landry confirmed that President Joe Biden accepted his state of emergency declaration on Sept. 10. The federal government will provide direct assistance and 75 percent reimbursement of emergency response costs for all Louisiana parishes.
Landry said he had not spoken directly to Biden yet but said he spoke with the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and Louisiana’s congressional delegation.
“I am fully confident that our federal partners are working very well with the state agencies and our local partners,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
